Jar of Hearts
by Disturbedvixen
Summary: Grell is in trouble after finding an object that attracts too much of the wrong kind of attention. Ciel is tasked with unlocking it's mystery and finds himself in an odd situation: It attracts demons and Sebastian is not immune to its call. SebxCiel later
1. Mysterious Deaths

**Author's note:** Thank you for taking the time out to read this! This story is actually based off of some ridiculous dream I had a few nights ago. Please review and I'll be sure to include a personal thank you to each reviewer and answer any questions you may have.

Just a note, this all takes place sometime before the end of the first season of Kuroshitsuji.

**{Chapter One: **Mysterious Murders**}**

"I do believe that someone out there has figured out when my days off are and is purposely saving the bigger messes specifically for those days. I need a vacation."

William Spears sighed as he surveyed the damage. Three young women lay mangled in a pool of their combined blood. The cobblestone alleyway was already becoming sticky from the congealing blood. He raised an eyebrow at the odd formation of the bodies. The corpses were arranged in an odd semblance of a circle, each with one hand meeting at a point in the middle. It was difficult to tell whether the hands were simply clasping another, or if they were each attempting to hold onto something. He also noted how well-dressed the girls seemed to be. Clearly they had come from a well-off family.

Not that the death of a noble was anything new, but he could see that the jewelry they wore was still intact. Normally a murderer would have robbed them blind after killing them, and probably wouldn't even arrange them in such a way. He mentally shrugged it off and moved forward to look at their records. It wasn't his place to investigate the murders of humans.

"Grell, be of some use and help me. I want to be done as soon as possible."

When he received no grumble, he looked up to find the firey-haired reaper admiring his reflection in one of the dusty windows of the store beside them. "Grell!"

Grell pouted as he looked himself up and down in the mirror. He was holding up heavily decorated ruby necklace against his neck. "Oh Will, you sure know how to ruin a girl's fun. They're dead! They aren't using them." He batted his eyes at his fellow reaper and flashed his sharp teeth. "Don't you think these bring out the color of my eyes? My eyes almost look like jewels!" He fell backwards as William's scythe smacked him in the face. "My, my, we're a bit touchy this morning, aren't we? Please just don't hit my face anymore! It's my moneymaker, you know."

William scowled before bending back over his work. The two of them displayed the three girls' records at the same time, scanning through their memories to make their judgment.

"Well that's interesting," Grell remarked. The three girls were arguing and fighting over an odd object. It looked like a small knickknack that belonged on a fireplace mantel. It was a pewter carving of cupid with blue stones set for the eyes. In the middle of the heart was a ruby cut into the shape of a heart. "Why would they fight over something so heinously gaudy?"

William decided not to comment on Grell's loud outfit, and instead continued watching the memories play out. He grimaced when he realized the girls were all fighting over the object, claiming that it was some sort of silly love amulet that would attract a secret love interest. Humans were so mundane. He waited to see what had killed the girls.

It was difficult to tell since the murder had taken place at night. It appeared to be a man, however. It had stepped out of the shadows, holding glass jars. A white wisp flew out of each girls' mouths and settled into a jar. The wisps slowly formed into a beating human heart. As the hearts were forming, blood began to pour out of the girls' eyes, nose, ears and mouth and the area where their hearts were exploded outward s as if a gunshot had gone straight through their chests. The records ended there.

"Interesting indeed," William admitted. The murders were odd, however it wasn't his job to begin an investigation. It would be up to the humans to figure this one out on their own. He stood up and eyed Grell who was still crouched down, gazing off into the distance in deep though. "We're through, here, " he said loudly.

"Hmm? Yes, yes, I've got it," he said after a slight jump. He hopped up and smiled brightly. "Well then, enjoy the rest of your day off! I've got a few errands to take care of. You know, I'd tell you about them, but I'm sure they'd be supremely boring to you." He continued to chatter quickly.

The raven haired reaper groaned and massaged the bridge of his nose. He held a hand up to silence the chattering. "You're right, I don't care. You better not get yourself into trouble. If I have to come in again today, you won't hear the end of it." With that, he leapt onto the nearest roof and sped off into the distance.

Grell waited with baited breath for an extra second or two, ensuring that William was far, far away. He bent down and pried the girls' hands apart and found the odd knickknack in their clenched hands. He looked nervously over his shoulder into his colleague's departing direction again just in case before he picked it up and turned it over to admire the details. The ruby in the middle reminded him of a certain demon's crimson eyes. It wasn't that he truly believed that this was a love amulet…not completely anyway, but he felt that he needed every extra ounce of luck, fake or not, to get the cold-hearted demon to send even a remotely interested look in his direction.

He sighed deeply, and instantly understood the secret longing of the princesses in the storybooks, longing to find their prince charming. He gently placed the cupid into the pocket of his brilliant red jacket and strode off down the street, carefully plotting on how he could insert himself into the Phantomhive household.

As he walked towards the main streets of London, he didn't notice an awkward and lanky man slip further into the shadows of the alleyway.


	2. Attacks

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of these characters.

**Author's note:** Thank you so much to those that reviewed and/or have added me to their alert list! If you reviewed the previous chapter, you can scroll down to see your name ;)

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**{Chapter 2**:** Attacks}**

The sun was barely beginning to rise in the horizon and few people were awake to watch its rays kiss the London rooftops. The ones that were awake were the lower working class, rushing to deliver things such as milk and other goods to those well off. They were much too busy to notice the sun's promises of beautiful weather or a grim reaper with flaming red hair walking briskly down the street.

Grell wasn't really sure where he was walking and he had no plan. All he did have was some vague idea in the back of his mind telling him that bribery would be the best solution to worming his way into the Phantomhive household…and preferably into that delectable demonic butler's bed too…but first things first: getting a warm reception into the estate. That would make it easier to either pester the demon into submitting to his desires, or to somehow trick the bratty earl into ordering it to happen.

The reaper rubbed a finger under his nose to wipe away the trickle of blood that began to flow as he imagined all the things he would allow Sebastian to do to him. He then began to wonder if there was anything he wouldn't allow Sebastian to do to him. He smiled to himself and put his hand into his pocket to grasp the cupid statuette. Maybe this silly human trinket could give him a little bit of luck if doing what the human girls had thought it would do.

As he was walking, he nicked a street beggar that was sitting at the corner of one of the shops. The beggar's clothes were so dirty that he was able to blend in with the grey brick façade of the building and the stone street.

Grell nearly lost his balance completely, but managed to regain it. He turned around sharply to face the beggar who was now standing, though his form was slumped forward slightly. "Why in the world are you sitting down where people walk? Are you dense? And you better not have scuffed my shoes. I just got these polished!" The reaper was more upset that his reverie of Sebastian was cut off than he was about his shoes.

"Hello? Are you listening to me?" Grell asked angrily. He reached out to shake the man. He took a step back and shuddered when the beggar began to move.

The man's every movements were slow and exaggerated. He slowly raised his filthy head to reveal a handsome, though dirt-smudged face.

Grell nearly squealed with delight. "Oh, who know you filthy streets people could be so handsome!"

"Might I ask what your name is, sir?" the beggar asked mechanically.

"Grell Sutcliff, but who needs such silly informalities? You can call me whatever you want." He inched forward slightly. "And what's your name?"

The beggar smiled, ignoring his question and reached a grimy hand out to grasp the front of Grell's crisp white shirt. "Sutcliff," the man repeated instead. "Grell Sutcliff…such fine clothing…"

Grell began to wonder if the man was a runaway from a crazy house. "I'd love to stay and play along, but I sort of have prior engagements," he began uneasily.

"Why are you so lonely? Allow me to change that." The dirty man cackled and leaned into the shirt, inhaling the reaper's scent. He licked the slender neck and pressed his cracked lips against the pale flesh. "You can't be lonely if you don't have a heart to break."

Grell was now definitely sure that this man was insane. He tried to tear himself out of the man's grip, but the beggar's movements suddenly quickened. He let go of the shirt and rustled around in the pockets of his rags. He produced a glass vial with a corked top. He removed the cork and Grell felt an odd heat grow in his pocket. He thrust his hands into his pockets to find the source of the heat, and his fingers wrapped around the cupid statuette. He ripped it out of his pocket to stare at it.

Cupid's ruby heart was glowing of and on, mimicking the pulse of a heartbeat. The reaper felt the blood flow out away from his face when he realized that the pulse was mimicking was his own. He then noticed his breath coming out in white puffs, much like it would have during the winter…but it wasn't winter, nor was it cold outside. His breath began to swirl in the air and fly towards the jar and he felt himself weaken along with a sharp pain forming in his chest.

Instinctively, Grell pulled his chainsaw out and hacked away at the beggar. He watched his breath retreat back into him, and he felt his energy suddenly return in full force. It returned so aggressively that it caused his knees to buckle under him, and he collapsed onto the ground. Blood began to pool around the mangled body and inch towards him. He ignored it and rolled over onto his side, choking and gasping for air. He grasped at his chest and tried to massage the pain away. He realized with shock that it wasn't his breath that was going into the jar. He couldn't be sure, but he suspected that it could have somehow been his heart.

When he finally caught his breath, he sat up and grimaced at the mess he had made. It was just the kind of mess that William had warned him not to make. He knew that the humans were going to start filling the streets at any moment. He fled from the scene, knowing that William would soon be on his trail.

From the shadows, a lanky figure stepped out in neatly shined boots. The figure was the same as the one that had hidden in the shadows at the previous crime scene. He walked closer towards the body and gingerly lifted the empty glass vial off of the ground. He then rustled through the blood soaked pockets and removed a delicate gold chain necklace. A small glass charm containing a tiny ruby hung off of it. He crushed it in his hands and a small white wisp flew out of the dust and entered his chest. At that point, the body convulsed and transformed into the mangled body of a lower-class demon.

The man scowled down at the carnage. "Never trust a lowly demon to do important work," he chided himself. He gazed off towards where Grell had run away and smiled softly. "That's an interesting one. I believe his heart will have wonderful things to tell me."

xXxXx

Grell fled to the countryside, hoping that the vast empty fields devoid of people would leave him free to try to figure out what to do. He could almost feel his head vibrating from the rate his racing thoughts were going. The only thing he was sure of was that William was going to have his head.

Strange sounds were beginning to come from all around him. The reaper looked up to see what the sound was and in the blink of an eye, he found himself surrounded by demons. He held his chainsaw out with shaking hands and turned slowly, trying to get a rough estimation as to how many of them there were. He could see that there were at least ten, but more seemed to have followed him from town.

He knew that the lesser demons that flourished there feasted off of the miseries of the lower class, and he had no idea why they were after him. The demons and grim reapers usually had an unspoken understanding to keep far away from each other and rarely even crossed paths. He gritted his teeth and waited to see if they were truly going to attack.

The demons all pounced at once as if some cue only they could hear went off. In an instant, Grell slashed through a large portion of them. Blood splattered and specks began to blossom on his clothing. A few managed to land blows on his skin, but his jacket luckily took the brunt from the gnashing, hungry teeth. He cast reluctantly cast it aside and hacked through another portion of them. It wasn't long before he had killed them all.

He breathed a sigh of relief and took a step back from the mass of bodies. As he was stepping away, the solution to his previous problem of entering the Phantomhive estate came to him. He could speak to Sebastian to try to get an understanding as to why a demon would ever break the unwritten vow to not target a grim reaper. For the first time in his life, he was much more worried about his well-being than he was trying to win over an attractive man.

With that, he headed towards the Phantomhive mansion.

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**And now onto my lovely and wonderful reviewers:**

**Awesome sauce: **thank you! And don't worry, the Sebastian and Ciel parts will come ;) Just be patient lol

**Narutopokefan: **Thank you for reviewing! I'm going to sort of slowly introduce how the amulet statue thingy works, but there'll definitely be a full explanation later on.

**LovelyWickedDescet: **Thanks! And I really don't mind the rambling at all. The knickknack will have a different effect on what kind of demons are around along with who is has it in their possession. I hope to add more to this later since Sebastian isn't really a normal everyday demon.

**Fumetsu Kaji: **Thank you! I'm glad you like it so far. I'll definitely update again soon.

**Saku: **Why thank you! I'm happy to hear that.


	3. His Butler, Captivated

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kuroshitsuji.

Author's note: Sorry this chapter is a little short, you guys! And thanks to those who reviewed. You guys rock.

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**{Chapter 3: His Butler, Captivated }**

The bells at the Phantomhive mansion went off, alerting that there was someone at the front door. None was more disgruntled than the young Earl Phantomhive. The boy scowled and buried himself further into his nest of blankets. The light had barely begun to filter through the curtains and he knew that it was far too early for him to be awake.

There was a gentle knock at his bedroom door before Sebastian let himself into his ward's room. "Master, you have someone at the door. Shall I tell them to come back a little later or shall I set out your clothing?" He already knew the answer based on the look on the boy's face.

Ciel purposely kept his eyes closed. He knew that his butler was already impeccably dressed, and the knowledge for some reason was only making him angrier at being awake. "Just tell whoever it is to leave. Besides, what could possibly be so important at such a ridiculous hour?"

"As you wish." The butler smirked. The child often seemed to be at least twice his age. After all, trauma at such a young age often forced a child to grow up much faster than an average child, but it was in moments like this that proved that Ciel was still young. It was almost endearing to see the mussed hair spread over the down-filled pillows and such a stern little pout tightening his lips. His master could be such a bratty little prince.

Sebastian walked down the stairs and across the foyer to answer the door. He grimaced to see Grell panting and blood splattered. "What do you want?" he asked curtly.

The reaper perked up immediately and he blew a kiss at the butler. "Dear, sweet Bassy, what kind of tone is that when speaking to a guest? After all, what kind of butler would you be if you didn't let a girl come in out of the sun?" he mocked, winking.

He shuddered. "Using the word 'guest' leads one to assume that the person is welcome, and you certainly are not welcome here. I won't allow you to enter this house, especially not with blood on your clothing. And I certainly don't intend to allow someone so revolting and accident prone to enter."

Grell pouted and he crossed his arms over his blood splattered chest. "How rude. I just want to ask you a simple question."

Sebastian sighed. "Do I even want to know?"

"Isn't there something out there that keeps your kind from attacking my kind? Because I just happened to be in London and for some reason, I got attacked. Then I left town, and they followed me and I got attacked again. I killed them and they were no match for me, of course." He sighed and waved a hand dramatically. "And I know I'm attractive, but this is just ridiculous. Now what could there possibly be about me that would make your lot attack me?"

"It's not quite an unwritten law, but more of a fear of the unknown. Little is known about the consequences of successfully killing a divine being. The demons living in London are the lowest of the low and stop at nothing to get what they want. I haven't the faintest idea as to what they could want. "

"But the thing is, I've gone through there thousands of times and I've rarely even _seen_ them. There's got to be something more than that." He dug into his pocket and held out the cupid statuette. "Actually, they attacked me not too long after I got this." He held it out and used it to gesture towards the butler.

He continued to chatter on, but somehow Sebastian stopped listening. He found himself gazing at the reaper's emerald eyes, noticing how they glittered enticingly when the light hit them at a certain angle. He wasn't aware of the fact that he had slowly taken a step further and reached out towards Grell.

"B-bassy?" Grell asked breathlessly. The butler never intentionally stood this close to him, and he was coming closer, still! He was frightened, but wonderfully so. He closed his eyes, hoping that the closing distance between them would lead into a kiss. He waited with baited breath.

"Sebastian, what's all this noise? I thought I told you had told whoever it was to leave! What…what are you doing?" Ciel had pulled a silk robe over his night gown to see what was taking so long and now he found his butler leaning unusually close towards the revolting reaper.

The sharp little voice broke Sebastian's reverie and he froze. What _was_ he doing? He shook his head to clear it. "I-I'm not sure."

Both the young earl and the reaper stared in speechless awe. Sebastian was clearly distraught and unsure, which had never happened before.

Grell was the first to break the silence. "You!" he called towards Ciel. "Hold on to this for me. I don't want to have any evidence for William to pin me down to." He tossed it and it landed at the boy's feet. "I need to come up with a good excuse to tell him. Got any ideas?"

He looked from master to butler and sighed at both their blank looks. "Fine, I can see that I'm unwanted around here." He winked again at Sebastian. "Bassy, I'll find a way to get you yet. I know it's un-ladylike to be so forward, but a girl can't sit around waiting forever, can she?" He turned and walked off, holding a hand up in farewell.

Ciel walked down the remaining stairs, stepping over the statuette as Sebastian closed the door. The mismatched eyes peered into crimson ones, searching for an answer. "Sebastian?" he asked uncertainly.

The demon folded an arm over his chest and bowed briefly. "My apologies, sir, I should have dealt with him more promptly. I'll make you some tea. I'll be up shortly to help you get dressed."

Ciel nodded and watched Sebastian walk towards the kitchen, acting as if nothing had happened. He knew his butler well enough to see that the demon was still slightly flustered. He wasn't sure whether to press him further or to pretend the oddness never happened. Truthfully, he was slightly frightened that it was something serious.

"Sebastian," he called at last.

The butler stopped and turn towards his master. "Yes?"

"I-If there was something terribly wrong, y-you'd tell me about it, wouldn't you?"

Sebastian blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"It's…nothing, never mind," Ciel muttered. It was probably nothing anyway. He pulled his robe tighter around his body and moved to walk back up the stairs. Halfway up, his feet hit something. He bent down to see the statuette that Grell had thrown at him. He picked it up and studied it. "What's so important about this piece of junk?" he wondered out loud. Shrugging, he brought it upstairs with him and placed it on his bedside table.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Sebastian gracefully balanced a tray of tea and an assortment of breakfast pastries, setting it down carefully on the nightstand. The statuette Ciel had placed there caught his eye. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you intend to do with this? I don't doubt that William Spears will be coming along to get it at a later date."

Ciel shrugged and allowed his butler to begin unbuttoning the top of his night gown. "I haven't decided, but there does seem to be something intriguing about it after I've looked at it for a while." He slipped his night gown off and replaced it with a white ruffled button-down shirt.

He took the statue into one hand while Sebastian began to button his shirt. "The stones in its eyes make it almost look alive."

"They're almost the same color as yours," Sebastian noted in amusement. "I wonder what kind of importance it has."

"I was wondering the same thing," Ciel mused. He was silent during the rest of his dressing, contemplating both the importance of the item and whether his butler was all right.

Finally Sebastian ran a brush through his ward's hair and moved to tie on the silk eye patch. As he was reaching up, he noted Ciel gazing up at him inquisitively. He steadily returned the gaze as he tied the strings of the eye patch. Again, he felt the same odd draw he did when Grell was at the front door. His gloved fingers ran gently through the boy's hair, and he drew closer still. He was unable to look away from the probing gaze.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you ill? " Ciel inquired curiously. "Do you demons even _get_ sick?"

Sebastian said nothing. Instead he found himself at a loss for words. How was it that he had never noticed how magnetic his master's doleful, uncovered eye was? He felt the urge to remove his gloves in order to plunge his hands and feel the silky strands of hair move between his fingers. Surely his hair was just as soft as a kitten's fur. His eyes now focused on the sulk that seemed to tug at permanently at the boy's lips. He ran a thumb gently across them.

"Sebastian…" the boy warned, sharply turning his head away from the gloved hand. His mouth tightened into a scowl at being touched. "Stop playing around and give me my tea."

The butler still said nothing. The magnetic draw pulled him in closer, leaving his mind blank of reason or any kind of awareness that would have stopped them. The crimson eyes closed and his lips meshed against the angry mouth. His heartbeat quickened at the feeling of the boy's delectable soul only a scant few inches away from his mouth and a suddenly ravenous hunger took over. He pressed closer, wrapping his fingers into the silken strands and pulling the child closer towards him.

Ciel stiffened and pushed with all his might against his butler's chest, abruptly ending the kiss and leaving him breathless. When he finally was able to find his tongue, he found that it still didn't work very well. All he managed to spit out was the butler's name. "S-Sebastian?"

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**Thank you to my wonderful reviewers. Without you guys, I wouldn't have a reason to update this.**

**Narutopokefan:** The answers will come soon enough. : ) Thank you for your review!

**Fumetsu Kaji:** Grell is definitely an idiot, but I adore him. I hope I don't disappoint. Thank you!

**Saku:** Haha I'm Glad I'm not the only one who likes him. He's just so ridiculous and awesome. Thank you for reviewing!


	4. His Master, Confused

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kuroshitsuji. Just the silly dream I had that led me to write this.

**Author's note:** I wrote this chapter pretty late at night, so I apologize if this chapter is boring or just kind of long and drawn out. I'll also be gone for about a week or so for vacation, so this won't be updated as often as it has been. And again, thank you so much for those who have reviewed!

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**{Chapter Four: **His Master, Confused**}**

Hundreds of emotions raced through the young earl's mind and none were coherent enough for him to be able to pinpoint. Finally, one articulate sentence broke through the mayhem of all his other thoughts.

'_My first kiss…from a demon?'_

He clamped a hand over his mouth at the sudden realization and the statuette fell from his hands, rolling onto his bed. His stomach turned over and for a moment, he thought for sure he'd be ill. He pushed past his butler and dashed down the hallway to his library, pulling the door closed behind him, locking it and throwing the windows open to get to the fresh air. His knees gave way underneath him, and he placed his hands on the windowsill to steady himself. He forced himself to breath slowly and willed his stomach to calm down. When the uneasy feeling in his stomach finally faded away, he sunk down to the carpeted floor. He wrapped his arms around his legs and pressed his forehead against his knees, willing his pounding heart to slow down.

He always knew that his first kiss would have been stolen away from him—probably by Lady Elizabeth sneaking up on him during an opportune moment, but never in a thousand years would he have even dreamed that Sebastian would be the one to do it. He pressed trembling fingers against his lips, unsure how to take the situation. He had to admit to himself that the kiss was more unexpected than it was unpleasant.

The doorknob to his library jiggled.

"Young master? Why have you locked the door?"

Ciel gritted his teeth. "What kind of question is that?" he bellowed at the door. "As if you don't know."

There was a pause of silence before a response came. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

The boy felt anger flare up in his chest. In an instant he was on his feet and his hands curled into tight fists at his side. He unlocked the door and ripped it open, glaring up at the towering form of his butler. "You don't know what I'm talking about?" he repeated loudly. "You know bloody well what I'm talking about. I know you aren't a fool. You've stolen something from me! Aren't we even going to talk about what happened?"

Sebastian looked genuinely confused. "I beg your pardon? Stolen something?"

"Y-you…" his voice dropped several octaves. "You kissed me, Sebastian. M-my first kiss…" He trailed off, unsure what to say next. He felt childish even mentioning it, but he truly felt like something was stolen from him.

"Kissed you?" Sebastian repeated doubtfully. "Surely you're mistaken. Such actions would be most unbecoming of a Phantomhive butler. Perhaps you are simply remembering a dream from last night." He smirked and reached out to pinch his master's cheek. "Should I be flattered that you were having such dreams about me? What would the others think?"

Ciel slapped the hand away. "How dare you? Don't you dare act as if nothing happened! What is wrong with you today? First you act odd with Grell at the door, and now you act like this didn't happen."

Crimson eyes widened for a short moment. He remembered his mind going blank during both instances, but he didn't realize he had been doing anything during those moments. Had he truly kissed his master? The boy wasn't one to lie. "P-perhaps I am ill after all," he admitted after a moment of awkward silence. He checked his pocket watch for the time. "I haven't even given the others their chores yet."

Ciel's hard look softened. "Maybe you should take a break," he suggested. "I don't know what kind of illness your kind can get, but I certainly don't want to catch it. I'm far too busy to get sick."

"But sir—"

"It's an order, Sebastian. Just divide your chores amongst the others. Nothing too complicated, of course."

The butler closed his mouth and sighed, bowing as he did so. "Very well."

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

Ciel sat at his study desk, diligently working to keep his attention on his newspaper. He had put off reading it as long as he could that day. He found himself re-reading the headline several times and each time, it seemed new to him. His mind almost seemed numb, unable to take in any other information after the kiss. Frustrated, he scowled and slapped the paper down, knocking an ignored stack of correspondence to the floor. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples.

'_Forget that stupid kiss,'_ he scolded himself. He was opening a new toy store in a small town that required a lot of preparation, and all he could think about was something so silly and infantile.

A knock sounded at his door and he felt his heart jump. "Sebastian?" he called a little too excitedly.

"It's just me, m'lord. Er, I mean it's us."

"Oh…." He felt his enthusiasm wane. "Come in."

Bardroy walked in pushing a tea cart, closely followed by Mey-rin and Finnian. All looked unsure and embarrassed. The latter two hid behind the former. Tanaka stood near them, calmly sipping a cup of steaming tea.

"We sort of made lunch for you, sir," Bardroy said uncomfortably. "Seeing as Mister Sebastian is sick n'all."

"We worked really hard on it, yes we did," Mey-Rin added helpfully. She squeaked in fear at their master's warning glare sent in their direction.

Ciel looked uneasily at the tea cart, only imagining what kind of lethal substances could be lurking under such an innocent silver cover. "What are you trying to poison me with today?" he asked carefully.

Bardroy swallowed nervously and lifted the silver cover of the dish up. "I-I roasted a chicken for you. I tried to do it like mister Sebastian, but it was taking too long. I'm sure if you cut the burnt bits off, it'll taste fine, sir."

"I made the tea, sir! I-I was going to make earl grey, but I spilled most of it before I could put it in the boiling water. I was going to add more…but we were out and I had to add in another kind, I did…" Mey-rin squeaked from behind the cook's back.

"Sir, I was going to make a dessert using fresh, crushed berries…but I crushed them too hard and they turned into juice," Finny said quietly.

"Hoh hoh hoh," Tanaka added unhelpfully.

Ciel sighed and held a hand to his forehead. "So you've completely ruined the food, and you bring it to me anyway?"

"We couldn't have you starve, sir! Mister Sebastian would have our heads!" Finny exclaimed, tears welling in his eyes. "And we all tried our very hardest."

Ciel gazed uncomfortably back at three sets of puppy dog eyes. "Fine!" he said at last. "I'll try it, but if I get sick…" He didn't finish his threat, but it still seemed to do the trick. They all nodded eagerly and laid out the food.

The young earl swallowed nervously, staring down at his plate of food. He cut a sliver of chicken that was significantly less burnt than the rest. He was surprised to find that it was somewhat edible, though dry with a charred aftertaste. He tried the rest of the things on his plate and wasn't much more impressed. He pushed his barely touched items out of his way, ignoring the hurt looks on the servants' faces. "How is Sebastian?" he chose to ask casually.

"He doesn't seem sick, sir," Bardroy answered, "But he's always been a bit odd, so who knows, eh?"

"Poor Mister Sebastian," murmured Mey-rin.

Ciel fell silent, struggling to comprehend what could possibly be wrong with his butler. He waved dismissively at his servants who cleared his desk and left him alone once more with his thoughts. He studied the statuette that Grell had thrown at him. The jeweled eyes seemed to glisten in the fading sunlight. For some reason he was unable to let himself be far from it for very long. Somehow it brought him comfort. The glittering sapphire eyes in it seemed to gaze back at him, understanding his pain and promising that it everything would be ok.

He sighed, and decided to go to bed early. Sebastian wasn't there to scold him for having wasted the day away, nor was he there to feed him something edible.

The young earl Phantomhive sat on top of his bed and collapsed, mentally exhausted from his day and hungry. He fell asleep fully clothed with the cupid statuette on the bed by his side.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Young master, you've fallen asleep in your clothing," Sebastian remarked disapprovingly. "What a wretched thing to do."

Ciel opened his eyes to see his butler holding a lit candlestick. "Sebastian! Are…are you feeling better?"

A knowing smile spread across the handsome face. "I was never ill to begin with."

"Then…why did you…?"

The butler sighed. "Are you still talking about the kiss that I stole from you? Humans are so troublesome."

Ciel bristled at being addressed so informally. "Sebastian," he began angrily. He gasped when his butler moved to sit on his bed beside him and leaned over him, only a few inches away from his face.

"My lord, was it such a terrible experience?"

The boy was unable to find his tongue and instead looked away, desperately to find anything but those crimson eyes to look into.

The smile twisted into a smirk, and Sebastian leaned forward to kiss him roughly. Ciel stiffened and his hands instinctively moved to push on the demon's chest. His resolve faded as the lips continued to mesh with his own. He could almost hear his heart racing and his hands tightly gripped the lapels of the well-pressed tail coat. Without realizing it, he pulled at the lapels to bring the demon closer. He allowed the demon to begin unbuttoning his shirt, and he was left breathless as Sebastian's lips moved to brush against his slender neck.

"Sebastian," he uttered breathlessly.

"Did I wake you, young master? My apologies."

Ciel opened his eyes to see Sebastian gentling placing a lit candelabra down on the nightstand along with a tray. He flushed, unsure if he had been talking or moving in his sleep, and if so, what all his butler had seen.

"I wanted to make sure you didn't fall asleep in your clothing." The crimson eyes gazed disapprovingly down at the surprised child. "I also brought tea and scones. I assume that Bardroy's dinner left much to be desired."

The boy nodded mutely. "Are you feeling any better?" He managed to ask.

"It's rather odd. I don't physically feel ill, though I don't feel quite like myself either," Sebastian admitted. "I only know that I have lapses in memory. I know you aren't one to lie, young master, and I apologize for having done such a wretched thing. I understand that you humans hold such things very dear. I realize that an apology will not suffice, but I can assure you that I have no recollection of doing such an action."

"It's fine, Sebastian. I've nearly forgotten about it," the young earl lied. He avoided the crimson eyes as he allowed himself to be undressed for work. His cheeks pinked in memory of the dream.

"Is something the matter?" the butler asked curiously.

"N-no, nothing at all…I hope…"

**xXxXxXxXx**

**And on to my lovely and wonderful reviewers. You guys are awesome! Thank you for being here to review and cheer this silly story on.**

**Narutopokefan:** I hope they secretly don't get out of this situation ;D but we'll see what they end up doing.

**.com:** Haha thank you. I was a little worried it'd be a little too awkward or something.

**Fumetsu Kaji:** Thank you! I'm also a little surprised at Grell, but who knows. Maybe he'll get a little lucky later on.

**Ulqui's-girl:** I wonder how much longer Sebastian will let Ciel stop him. He won't be able to resist one day. Mwahaha

**Saku: **I think it's funny you were drinking while reading this! Grell always managed to crack me up. And there will definitely be some trouble coming up for sure.

**Honeymonkey101:** Aw, thank you!

**Animefan615:** No problem! Review at your own pace, I don't mind. I hope I can eventually finish writing my other stories, but it's been so long, I don't really remember where I was trying to go in them.

**fairyDreamz:** Thank you. :D


	5. Cupid's Chokehold

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kuroshitsuji. Just the silly dream I had that led me to write this.

**Author's note: **Back from vacation!

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

**{Chapter Five: **Cupid's Chokehold** }**

Young Earl Phantomhive tossed and turned in bed for hours after the demonic butler left. He was almost too afraid to fall asleep, knowing that doing so could lead into another dream. Just thinking about it caused an unfamiliar sensation to stir in his lower stomach. He knew that his body screamed out for something he couldn't quite understand, and it was driving him mad. It was as if a wild animal had begun to take shape within him, desperately searching for a way to satiate a mysterious, growing hunger.

Though he had no idea what his body was trying to tell him, he felt embarrassed for some reason. He was sure his butler was going to make a snide remark about his situation. He wished desperately that he could ask someone for advice on what to do. He cursed the fact that he had nobody with whom he felt comfortable enough to ask personal questions. Though he wondered what exactly he _would_ ask if he did have someone around. Just the thought of asking someone made him cringe.

He took the cupid statuette off of his night stand and held it in his hands, running his fingers over the smooth surface, concentrating on the comforting weight and imagining how the jewels would glimmer brightly in the light. Somehow, it relaxed him and he felt his arousal eventually go away. Finally, at long last, he fell asleep with the trinket nestled on the bed beside him.

xxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxx

Sebastian gently pulled his ward's curtains open, tying each one to the side. "Young master, it's time to wake up. You have quite a bit of correspondence for you today, not to mention the letters you ignored yesterday," he said. "Now, I have Darjeeling tea for you today. I've also brought toast with your choice of freshly churned butter or strawberry jam."

Ciel blinked his mismatched eyes in the sunlight and rolled over in an attempt to get a few more seconds of sleep as his butler laid out his outfit for the day and made the tea. As he did so, he felt something hard press into his side. He reached down to find the statuette. He had forgotten he fell asleep with it at his side. He grabbed it and plunged his hands down under the covers to hide the fact that he had it in his bed. The butler would surely have something to say about it if he were to spot it. As his fingers wrapped around it, he saw Sebastian drop a pair of just-polished, buckled shoes.

"Sebastian, be careful with those," the boy scolded, sitting up. "Those are from a shoemaker in London and only had a limited sale of that particular style." His harsh look swiftly changed, noticing the now familiar blank look in the crimson eyes.

The demonic butler moved closer to where he was sitting and in one smooth motion, swept him out from beneath the thick covers and into his lap. Ciel studied the ravenous expression, feeling sort of a thrill at not knowing what was going to happen. He held the statuette in both hands to hide it. It would be far too obvious to try and let it drop to the ground.

Sebastian crushed the slender body against his own. One gloved hand wrapped into the silken strands as the other against the small of the boy's back. His lips pressed against Ciel's ear, tracing the folds ever so gently.

"Young master," he purred.

Ciel again felt his body crying out, leaving his mind reeling. When Sebastian's lips collided against his own, he found himself hungrily pressing closer and returning the kiss with his own inexperienced lips. Though it only added kindling to the roaring flame of his body's mysterious hunger, he relished how delightfully light-headed and breathless it left him. A soft moan escaped his lips unbeknownst to him, causing the demon to deepen the kiss and pull his young ward even closer. Ciel was dizzy from the new sensations washed over him in paralyzing waves. The statuette fell from his grip as his hands grasped the crisp lapels, tentatively inching their way up the toned chest and around the butler's neck.

Sebastian stiffened almost instantaneously with the trinket making contact with the floor. He was confused as to why he was holding his young master so intimately. The confusion was not nearly as overwhelming as the distracting sensation of Ciel's mouth against his. The child's deliciously tortured soul was dangerously close, and had Sebastian been a lesser demon, he would have taken it without any hesitation. He steeled himself against the crushing desire he felt for it and instead smirked at the somewhat awkward and unsure way that the boy's lips were meshed with his.

He gently pulled away and cupped the child's chin, lifting it ever so slightly so that he could gaze into those normally resolute eyes. The young earl's eyes were half-lidded and clouded with desire, and the pouty mouth hung slightly due to his heavy breathing. He chuckled to himself, confident that Ciel had no idea what he was feeling. It was endearing to see his bratty prince of a ward so vulnerable. He quietly slid the young earl off of him and back on the bed, noticing the fallen statuette and placing it on the nightstand.

Ciel flushed at the way Sebastian seemed to be appraising him. He yanked his covers to hide himself and he looked away resolutely. He prepared himself for the onslaught of snide remarks. "Well?" he said at last. "Just get it over with."

"I beg your pardon, young master?"

"I know you have something to say about my…current situation. Just say it."

"What is there to say? It's perfectly natural for humans of your age to begin experiencing these feelings." He bent down to pick up the shoe he had dropped previously, brushing it off and placing it next to its mate. "I suppose it's a sign that you're maturing. Perhaps you'll finally hit a growth spurt and will no longer be so small."

Ciel ignored the jab at his height, instead feeling a lack of relief at hearing his situation was 'normal'. After all, what was normal about undergoing this situation with a demonic butler at the cause of it all?

"Now, about that statuette, have you decided what you're going to do with it? I see that you've seem to have grown attached to it," Sebastian remarked, casually changing the subject.

"Don't be a fool," snapped the earl. "I'm still deciding what to do about it. You may not have noticed but I've had quite a few things to deal with." He threw an insinuating glare in his butler's direction. "After all, I need to figure out why you've been so strange lately. I need to be in full control over my pawns. I can't have one of them become incapacitated before I have the chance to fully utilize it. "

Sebastian smiled, busying himself with the tea. "No, of course not."

"I'm sure if it was terribly important, whoever lost it would be searching for it. We'll stumble into them soon enough, I'm sure of it." He took it into his hands absentmindedly. Again, he noticed Sebastian's gaze instantly go blank.

'_It's the statuette!'_ he thought with a jolt of realization. He released the trinket, closely watching his butler's face. It cleared up and Sebastian went back to making his tea as if nothing had happened. Ciel repeated the movement a few times, grasping and then releasing the statuette. The blank expression left and returned as he did so. Finally, Sebastian held a hand to his head.

"What's the matter?" Ciel asked worriedly.

"It's…it's nothing, I think. Just a bit of a headache," Sebastian replied distractedly.

Ciel replayed the past situations in his head. He had only held the statuette for a short amount of time. He felt his body twinge desperately at the thought of what had happened, over-riding the guilty feelings. He figured that it couldn't cause much harm in doing so. If he didn't like where things were going, couldn't he simply just drop the statuette? Nervously, he held the trinket tightly in his hand.

The china tea cup in Sebastian's hand fell and landed on the ground, breaking and spilling tea on the clean floor. His heart beat furiously in his chest as he watched slip into his bed, loosening his tie as he did so. Boldy, Ciel grabbed the tie with his free hand, pulling the butler into a kiss. Sebastian's gloved hands slipped under his ward's night shirt, pulling it off to reveal the scar that marked his tortures. He kissed the slender neck and shoulders as he unbuttoned his trousers.

Ciel blushed furiously, and his grip on the statuette tightened nervously. He wasn't sure where things were going, but he was too nervous to let go of the statue. "S-sebastian," he began fearfully. "I-I…"

"Young master, do you not trust me?" the butler asked, flashing his devilish grin. "If I couldn't fulfill all of my duties to the highest level, what kind of butler would I be?"

"What exactly do you mean?" he managed to ask.

Sebastian chuckled and pulled his young master closer.

"B-but Sebastian—" He was silenced by a deep kiss. He closed his eyes, feeling his butler's skillfull hands dance over his skin. He lost himself to the waves of pleasure and was unaware of the accompanying sounds that escaped his young throat.

xXxXxXxXx

Grell had removed one of his gloves and was chewing nervously on it, debating whether or not he should face William head first or hide out and wait for his fellow reaper to hunt him down. He had been hiding for a full day, expecting repercussions for killing a human in town. He was actually very surprised that nobody had tried to find him yet. He knew it was only a matter of time.

He rationalized to himself that going to William first would probably have a far worse consequence. He tried to think of ways to soften the initial blow. Would the reaper even believe that he killed the human out of self-defense? He groaned. Of course not. Besides, was it really self defense? All the street urchin had done was get uncomfortably close. Surely an apology would mean nothing to the strict reaper.

'_What good is an apology, Grell? It isn't going to erase the stupid mistake you made,'_ William would say curtly, adjusting his glasses with his death scythe.

"Well, well, Mr. Sutcliff, I've been searching everywhere for you."

Grell glanced up to see a well-dressed man. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded. "How do you know my name?"

The man smiled. "That isn't important. What is important is that you stole something that belongs to me and I'd like it back."

xXxxxxxXxxxxxxxXx

**To my wonderful and awesome reviewers: This silly fic wouldn't continue without you guys. **

**Narutopokefan:** Ciel definitely got a little curious in this chapter. Muwahaha

**Fumetsu Kaji:** Well we'll just have to see how much Ciel will take advantage of what the amulet thingy does.

**Alyssama:** Thanks :D

**Ace Jeremy:** I'm glad the awkward situations I'm putting him in is making you laugh. :D

**Shikamaru of the Dead:** Thank you! And no worries, I appreciate you leaving a review just the same.

**Saku:** Thank you! I'll do my best to keep things interesting.

**Ulqui's-girl:** You'll just have to see if he figures it out soon. Or maybe he'll just have a little fun with it.

**Hotxhotguy: **Will do.


	6. Beloved Nadia

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing except the silly dream leading to this story.

**Author's note:** My chapters have been feeling a little on the short side so I've been working on making this one longer. I hope you all enjoy it, and again, thank you to all my reviewers!

xXxXxXxXxXxXxX

**{Chapter six: **Beloved Nadia** }**

Grell groaned loudly, replaced his now-worn out glove and adjusted his glasses before planting his hands on his waist. "Can't a girl catch a break anymore?" he grumbled under his breath. He assumed this was how William felt every time he pulled some odd stunt and had to work overtime to find and punish him.

"_It's a shame that 'punishment' isn't his codeword for 'rough sex,'"_ he thought wistfully. He eyeballed the man before him. It was difficult to see his facial features in the dim moonlight, but Grell assumed the man was from a rich family due to the perfectly-tailored coat and skillfully made boots.

"Look, I've never seen you before in my life," Grell said confidently. "There's no way I stole something from you."

"Perhaps if I introduced myself." He removed his hat and offered the reaper a sweeping bow. "I am Nathaniel Lloyd. You may have heard of my jewelry and gift shop: 'Beloved Nadia'? It is one of the most popular in London."

Grell continued to look at him blankly. "Well of course I've heard of that place, but that doesn't mean I stole anything from you."

Nathaniel chuckled. "No, I suppose you weren't the one to actually steal my charm away, but I do know that you were the last to be in possession of it. Perhaps 'stolen' is a bit too harsh of a word to have used."

The reaper raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon? Your charm?"

"Yes, my charm. I happened to watch you remove it from a rather interesting crime scene before killing one of my workers." A sinister smile splayed across his face. "Now isn't it a bad thing to kill someone before their time…? Mister Reaper?"

Grell's expression hardened into a grimace. It was bad enough that he did kill a human, but it was ten times worse that another human had been there to witness it. "What do you want?"

"Nothing at all. I simply want my charm back. It means a great deal to me."

"I don't have that gaudy piece of trash anymore. It clashed with my outfit. Blue is such a dreary color for a jewel—or anything, for that matter."

Nathaniel scowled. "Trash?" he spat at the reaper. "How dare you. You don't know the possibilities it holds."

Grell scoffed. "Right. Possibilities. Only you humans would think that an object can get a cute guy."

"Actually it works too well. Have you been attacked by anyone when you had that in your possession?" He smiled at the shocked look on the red-head's face. "Now…tell me what you did with my charm."

The reaper's mind began to race. He didn't quite understand the extent of what the statuette could do, but based on the brief initial moments that he held it, he knew it was dangerous. If it attracted demons, it possibly meant that the butler had killed the bratty earl because of its draw. And Grell certainly didn't want to be attacked by Sebastian. Of course unless it was more of a sensual attack and less an attack that could kill him. But the earl wasn't killed, the butler would definitely be angry at him for leading possible danger to him. Besides, the Phantomhive estate was far from civilization and difficult to find if you didn't know where to look. Not to mention, the mansion was very well-guarded. It could take weeks, possibly even months before a normal person could locate it. It had taken him a good bit of time trying to remember how to get there, and even then, it was out of sheer luck that he picked the right roads to follow.

Grell made up his mind. "I'm not going to tell you where it is."

"Very well then. I guess we'll have to do this a different way." Nathaniel pulled one of his hands out of his pocket and held out a small, black box with 'Beloved Nadia' written across it in gold, cursive script.

"I beg your pardon?" Grell sputtered indignantly. "I'm not going to be bribed!"

Nathaniel opened the box to reveal a gold necklace resting on a velvet insert. It was a gorgeous and elegant piece of jewelry. The main focal point was a small, delicate gold birdcage that held an even smaller glass jar within it. The jar encased a heart-shaped ruby, and ruby and emerald accents dotted the birdcage.

The inner woman in the reaper couldn't help but gaze longingly at it. "No," he said firmly as he ordered his hands to remain at his side. It took a good amount of will power to keep them from reaching up and snatching the necklace out of the box.

Nathaniel walked closer. "Just try it on. That's all I ask." He held a compact mirror out for the vain reaper to admire himself in as he unclasped the necklace and held it up against the slender neck.

"Well it is pretty. Much better than that garish charm thing," Grell admitted quietly, looking at it longingly in his reflection. "But I won't tell you a thing."

"No, not like this you won't. But you are going to do it against your will."

Before Grell opened his mouth in a response, the delicate clasp to the necklace closed. He felt a sharp pain growing his chest similar to the pain he felt when he killed the street urchin. He fell to his knees and clutched at his chest, unable to breathe properly. The pain felt like fire was slowly eating away at his flesh and his heartbeat began to thud erratically. He thought for sure he was going to die. A white wisp of air floated out of his gasping mouth and into the small jar around his neck. The ruby within it glowed off and on, matching the beating of his frantic heart as Grell felt his energy get slowly sapped away. He slunk to the ground and passed out. The sneer on Nathaniel's face was the last thing he saw.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Ciel woke up disoriented, as one usually would waking up from an odd yet rather vivid dream. He wondered for a moment why he felt so exhausted as he blinked slowly, waiting for his room to come back into focus. As things became clearer, he found himself watching Sebastian silently pulling on a crisp, white shirt and buttoning it.

"What's going on?" he called out in confusion. His voice came out a little rough and he noted that it felt a little raw.

The butler turned to gaze at his ward with a pained expression on his face, speeding the buttoning process. Ciel caught a faint glimpse of the demon's chest before it was fully covered. How odd it was to see his butler's skin…and why was Sebastian dressing in his room?

He struggled to sit up and again was confused, this time to find himself naked when his covers fell off of his thin shoulders and onto his lap. He snatched them back up and held it up to his chest. He blushed as bits and pieces of memory trickled back into his muddled mind. He couldn't remember much, but he remembered feeling an indescribable amount of pleasure flooding every inch of his body. He pushed his sweaty bangs out of his mismatched eyes as he struggled to remember more.

"Sebastian?" he rasped, trying again.

"Young master, try not to speak. You could do more damage to your throat. I'll make you some tea with lemon and honey to soothe it," Sebastian said quietly, buttoning his vest and reaching for his tailcoat. He slipped his gloves on and again gazed down at the young earl who sat covering himself with faint blush on his cheeks. "Are you feeling fine otherwise?"

Ciel said nothing for a moment and then shrugged. "I feel exhausted," he said as carefully as he could.

The butler was unable to find anything to say. He reached a hand out to place comfortingly on his ward's shoulder, but thought better of it and dropped it. "Perhaps you should get some sleep while I make your tea. I'll draw you a bath as well. It should ease…whatever pains you may be feeling."

Ciel nodded quietly and laid down, pulling the covers up to his chin.

Sebastian walked towards the kitchen, feeling uncharacteristically guilty and angry at himself. He cursed himself for what he had done to his ward. It was true that he had no recollection of was going on when it was beginning but when his mind cleared, he was unable to stop himself. The sight of his ward's body contorting with pleasure at each thrust and the sound of his name being torn out of the throat had wiped away all possibilities of self-control. Just the memory of it was causing him to become aroused. He gritted his teeth at the absurdity of it all. Just what kind of demon was he? He had stolen what little was left of the child's purity with the disgraceful act and it was done out of desire rather than doing it with the intention of causing harm.

He filled a tea kettle and placed it on the stove, still cursing himself with each movement. As he waited for the water to heat, he massaged his temples. For some reason, he had prided himself in being able to be the one to maintain some semblance of normality in the child's life and he currently was the main one destroying it. It made no sense to him. The whole reason he had agreed to even being a butler was to witness the child's soul marinade in his torment over the years. Surely now he couldn't be feeling concern or any emotions for him beyond the concern of preserving a well-earned meal.

His mind went again to reprehensible things he had done after he gained awareness of what was going on. He thought of how he allowed himself to continue doing it until he had exhausted himself, then even was bold enough to doze off for a short moment in his master's bed with the young master himself falling asleep in arms. He could barely remember the last time he had felt so spent and physically satisfied. It made things that much more worse.

He struggled to decide the best way to approach the situation with the young master. Should he even bring up what had happened or should he let the young earl deal with the situation on his own terms and come to him as needed? Or would the earl feel too ashamed and disappointed in him for acting so lowly?

He wasn't able to come to a decision because the other Phantomhive servants filtered into the kitchen.

"Mister Sebastian, are things ok? It's a little late and you haven't given us our chores yet," Finny murmured, twiddling his fingers nervously. "I started weeding the flower gardens, but I wanted to know what varieties Master Ciel would like to have."

"Is Master Ciel all right? I heard him yelling out not too long ago. Does he have to go undercover as a girl again?" Bardroy asked, referring back to Sebastian was helping Ciel into a corset as part of a disguise to get leads on Jack the Ripper's identity.

"Yes, yes, everything is fine!" Sebastian snapped, scaring the servants into hiding under the preparation table. He exhaled slowly to calm himself and control to urge to snap each one of their fragile necks. "Please, just go about doing the same things you've done yesterday. Master Ciel may…not be feeling so well and I will be tending to him." _'If he allows me to,' _he added in his mind.

xxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Ciel nestled into his covers, feeling oddly satisfied and warm inside. It was vaguely similar to the warm and fuzzy feelings he felt as a smaller child when his parents were still alive. He was pleased to discover that he actually felt a twinge of pure happiness for the first time in several years. He smiled to himself and buried his face further into his blankets, making sort of an attempt to cocoon himself in this feeling. He blushed, remembering how surprisingly tender Sebastian had been afterwards as he drifted to sleep against the strong chest.

And then he frowned. Whatever he and Sebastian did, though wonderfully exciting, wouldn't have taken place if it wasn't for the statuette. Though…he had released it not too long into the beginning…maybe half of it was something legitimate.

He supposed he would never be able to know for sure. The happy feeling went away and doubt set in, and he decided that it would be good catch up on his mail instead of sulking. He slipped out of bed to go get his robe, only to fall to the ground. His knees were so shaky and weak that he was unable to stand. He sat on the floor for a second, shocked at just how weak he was. Finally he used his bed to help pull himself up and inched his way to the hook where his robe hung. He pulled it over himself and made his way to his comfortable chair located in front of his window. He opened the day's newspaper and read the headlines.

'_No Leads found on Murder of Three Daughters of London Nobles.'_

Ciel sat up a little straighter as he read over the details. It was an interesting case. He wondered vaguely how long it would take for the police to summon him and beg for his help.

He looked up when his butler entered the room carrying a fresh pot of tea. He took the teacup Sebastian offered him and sipped the liquid, feeling it sooth his raw throat. He held the cup in one hand and folded the newspaper with the other. He gazed out the window at his estate, deep in thought.

Outwardly, Sebastian appeared nothing short of composed. Inwardly, his mind raced frantically, unsure what his young master was thinking at the moment. Ciel didn't appear perturbed in the least, though that meant nothing since he was well-known for rarely showing emotions beyond anger.

"Is the tea helping?" he asked, taking the empty tea-cup from the boy and replacing it on the tea cart.

"A bit," Ciel replied, his voice still a touch raspy. "Have you drawn my bath?"

"Yes, the water should be the perfect temperature if you were to get into it now."

The earl nodded once. "Very well then." He lifted his gaze to meet that of his butlers. "Carry me," he ordered. "I'm too tired to walk there myself."

Sebastian blinked at the request before bowing briefly. "As you wish." He lifted the young earl, noting how limp and weak he felt in his arms. He saw the boy's head loll and rest against his chest. Once again, he felt a pang of guilt. He held his ward tighter and walked to the bath.

He helped his ward step into the tub before removing his tailcoat. He folded it neatly and put it aside, then rolled up his sleeves and buttoning it. He unfolded a freshly laundered wash cloth and proceeded to rub a bar of soap against it. He looked up to see Ciel watching him.

When caught watching, Ciel haughtily looked away. He closed his eyes and reclined back in the tub. "I don't understand why you insist on wearing your gloves when you bathe me. It's only you and me, isn't it? I already know what's on the back of your hand and I'm not ashamed of it."

"Would you prefer that remove them?"

"Yes. It's pointless."

Sebastian slipped his gloves off with his teeth and began washing Ciel's hair, gently massaging his scalp and finally rinsing the suds out of the silky hair. Ciel sat up to allow his butler to scrub his back.

The demon paused before doing so. His breath left him and his eyes were plastered to scratches and bruises that decorated the slim back. "Young master," he whispered sadly.

"What?" Ciel looked over his shoulder at the butler.

"I-I apologize for what I did to you," Sebastian said. His hands curled tightly against the edge of the tub in anger at himself. "I don't know what came over me. I don't even remembering starting it, but I once my mind cleared, I know exactly what I was doing and I allowed myself to fall victim to my own selfish desires with blatant disregard to your well-being. I ashamed at my lack of self-control."

"Oh shut up," Ciel said, much to the demon's surprise. "You don't see me complaining, do you?"

Sebastian said nothing, still confused.

Ciel chuckled at the blank look on his face and settled back into the tub. "I rather enjoyed myself and I daresay that you have as well. Besides, it was hardly your fault. I may have had a hand in it."

"I beg your pardon, sir?"

"I wouldn't want to tell you my secret, Sebastian. You're clever, aren't you? I think it'll be more interesting to see your reaction whenever you discover the cause behind your odd loss of memory."

Sebastian mentally grimaced at the boy. What brat his master was. He scrubbed at the boy's arms, refusing to look at the smug expression on the boy's face and instead focused on the area he was lathering. He wondered how he could have ever possibly felt guilty for what he did to the boy. He deserved each and every mark he was received from the demon as payment for every degrading thing he was forced to endure.

A soft knock sounded on the bathroom door.

"I'm bathing," Ciel snapped at the sound. "It better be important."

"M-master Ciel, there's someone at the door for you, there is," Mey-rin called through the door. "He says it's very urgent."

"Well did you get his name?"

"I believe he said it was William T. Spears, sir."

Ciel shot up in the tub, splashing water onto his disgruntled butler. "William Spears? T-tell him that I'll be down in a moment. Sebastian, bring him some tea before you help me get dressed. Wait…do reapers even drink tea? Never mind, just do it anyway."

"Very well, sir." Sebastian frowned at his wet clothing. He would have to change quickly. He wondered vaguely why his master was suddenly flustered as he left the room.

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**Author's note: Thank you to all my amazing reviewers!**

**Fumetsu Kaji:** I like to think that Sebastian would be indifferent to some of these things happening, as long as it's not Grell or something doing these things to him. Everything seems like it's 'just business' with him on the outside, but inside, who knows? He might be disgusted or freaking out lol. Ciel does seem to be having too much fun with all this so far though.

**Narutopokefan:** The man has been introduced in this chapter. : ) Ciel is such a naughty boy for playing with the amulet like this. Mwahaha. The things I do to the characters.

**Promocat:** Your mind would definitely go blank after that. Just go with it, right? Haha

**Hotxhotguy:** Updated! I hope you enjoy it.

**Saku:** Haha, naughty Ciel… I just am wondering how many times I'm going to let Ciel torture Sebastian with the thing. And I do feel bad for poor Grell. I'm treating him so poorly.

**FinalVerse:** I'll try to have more yaoi bits come.


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